Apparatus for both ironing and folding flatwork such as sheets, pillowcases, tablecloths and similar laundry items has long been known in the art. Thus Mayer U.S. Pat. No. 1,805,776 is directed to a combined ironing and folding machine. Such early apparatus, however, commonly employed discrete ironing and folding apparatus in a series relationship occupying a maximum floor area with accompanying increased costs of operation.
With the passage of time improvements have been effected in combination ironer-folders. Thus, Ferrage U.S. Pat. No. 4,411,082 is directed to an ironing device with a pivoted blade folder which occupies a floor area little more than that of an ironing device alone. This patented apparatus folds ironed flatwork such as sheets into panels of desired width by means of a pivoting blade which feeds the finally folded sheet or the like onto a discharge conveyor. This patent discloses folding by means of a pivoting blade only, which is adapted to effect folds of desired panel width "L" which is programmed into the apparatus control.
The use of pivoting folding blades is also well known in the art being disclosed in the above patents as well as Kellett U.S. Pat. No. 2,954,974 directed to a laundry folding machine.
Patents such as Kamberg et al. 3,260,518 and Kamberg U.S Pat. No. 3,361,424 disclose folding apparatus employing retractable clamp means which fold flatwork moving on a conveyor by lifting the leading edge of a moving sheet or the like and dropping it on the sheet trailing edge. The folders of these two patents also employ counter-rotating pinch rolls in combination with air-blasts for cross-folding flatwork in the course of being processed by the apparatus.
These two patents are assigned to the assignee of this application, and the disclosure thereof is incorporated herein by reference.
The prior art apparatus directed to ironer-folders are limited in their capabilities and oftentimes are inefficient in their use of floor space. The prior art devices also form folds of generally limited and imprecise configuration in the ironed flatwork being processed.